High School Students' Future by Design

High School Students' Future by Design

Even during her childhood, it became obvious what kind of career 17-year-old Lindsey Hineman wanted to pursue.
"When I was little, I would draw floor plans of our house," the aspiring architectural designer said.

Hineman, a Snohomish, Wash., native, is now on the University of Idaho campus sharpening her design skills during Summer Design Week, a six-day interdisciplinary program organized by the UI College of Art and Architecture. The program, which began Monday, invites high school students like Hineman to get a taste of what it's like to study architecture and other related fields at the university level.

Phillip Mead, an architecture and interior design professor at the UI, said 23 students from around the Northwest and as far away as California are taking part in the program, now in its fifth year. He said its purpose is to teach students to incorporate a wide array of disciplines, including landscape architecture, graphic design and interior design.

"It gives them a sense of why things are related in the design fields," he said.

The students spend the week attending lectures, going to workshops and being introduced to tools like laser cutters, 3-D printers and motion capture technology.

They are also allowed to use art studios on campus to work on an assignment that must be completed by the end of the week. Mead said the project requires students to each draw an abstract design that provokes some sort of emotion or tells a story. Then they must project that design into a three-dimensional model or sculpture, or in a two-dimensional graphic that demonstrates their knowledge of the multiple disciplines. Their final products will be on display during a public exhibition on Saturday in the UI Commons.

The students spent much of Tuesday afternoon perfecting their designs using ink and tracing paper.
Britt Gable, a 17-year-old from Boise, said he wanted his design to represent "calmness" and "simplicity" of nature. Abstract designs are not something Gable was familiar with before this week, but he said that was part of the program's appeal.
"It's interesting to try something I've never done before," he said.

Gable said he "fell in love" with architecture after taking several related courses at his high school. A friend who took part in Summer Design Week last year persuaded him to try it. Gable saw it as not only an opportunity to learn more about the career, but as a chance to visit the campus, as well.
Byron Greene also wanted to familiarize himself with the campus, mostly because it will be his home for the immediate future. Greene, 21, is transferring to the UI from a college in San Diego, where he studied structural engineering. After deciding that major was not meant for him, he visited Idaho and talked to Mead about joining the College of Art and Architecture. Mead recommended he take part in Summer Design Week as a way to catch up with the material he will be studying this fall.

"It was a way to make the transition easier," Greene said.
According to the program's website, those who complete Summer Design Week can earn one semester hour of university credit. Students pay a $585 fee for the program, plus additional fees to stay in university housing for the week. They can apply for scholarships of up to $200 to participate in the program.